“One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God. Or else, if indeed you do go back . . . know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you. . . .” (Joshua 23:10-13, NKJV)
The battles that Israel fought foreshadow the spiritual battles that Christians fight. If I stay true to God, He will give me victory over sin and temptation, even over spiritual forces of evil. But if I decide that I’d rather live another way, I’ve no guarantees of His help, at least until I learn the folly of doing such a thing and turn back to Him.
God warns me about loving the world’s ways. He categorizes them as “ the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.”
I’m guilty of the lust of the flesh if my priority becomes satisfying physical desires. This runs the gamut: food, sex, luxuries of all kinds, excessive comforts, anything that appeals to the senses. While these things are not necessarily forbidden, should I focus on them, they will become a snare to me.
I’m guilty of the lust of the eyes whenever I want what I see. That might be more stuff, but it can also be a power trip, a desire to gain control or ‘be the best’ in some area, a competitive “I must win” attitude. While God does not forbid doing well or having major responsibilities, if that is my focus, I have stopped loving Him.
I’m guilty of the pride of life at lot more easily than the other two. Bigger, better, more. The best, the most, the smartest, the strongest, whatever I can put on a pedestal with my name engraved under it, whatever I can point to and say, “I did that.” God does not frown when I do my best or on my achievements, but He knows that whenever that becomes my focus, I am trapped into a false value system.
It is false because none of those things last. They are not eternal. Loving God means having an eternal perspective, eternal values. If I take today’s to-do list and rate it, how much of what I accomplish will last for eternity?
Realistically, this doesn’t mean I can opt out of making the bed, doing dishes, or cleaning my desk. It does mean that I can pray while I do the ‘mindless’ chores, be thankful all day, be kind and loving toward my family and others that cross my path, and listen for the Lord’s voice in case He wants to send me off in another direction.
This does not sound much like the battles Joshua fought, but a minor success that puffs me with pride, or even a good dose of “I don’t want to” can take me down just as quickly as an enemy spear.
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